Brief Summary of OWINFS Work on WTO and Agriculture, May 2009

Agriculture remains a cornerstone of the WTO Doha Round, and WTO remains a major structure which disadvantages and harms farmers in the global economy. In the negotiations, developing countries in the “G20” seek to reduce tariffs and subsidies in the developed countries to gain more access to their markets. At the same time, a group of developing countries defends farmers’ interests by proposing certain exemptions from the tariff cuts, as well as the ability to raise tariffs in the event of import surges which cause severe damages to developing country farmers (this group is the G33). They advocate for these policies, called Special Products and Special Safeguard Mechanism (SP/SSM) in recognition of the fact that domestic food production is essential for farmers’ livelihoods, food security, and rural development.